After watching the videotape, Lin Qi walked to the tactics board and looked around at the group of young people who were pale with fear from the Chicago Bulls.
Suddenly, he smiled.
"But have you ever thought about why the entire league can't beat the Chicago Bulls?"
Finley hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Because every position they're in is just too strong..."
"Wrong!" Lin Qi's eyes sharpened. "The reason the entire league can't beat the Chicago Bulls is because all the veteran coaches in the league are resting on their laurels, using outdated, old-fashioned thinking to compete against a team whose thinking has already leaped into the future."
The young people were all taken aback.
Lin Qi wielded his black pen, quickly sketching the Chicago Bulls' suffocating switching defensive strategy on the whiteboard. "Right now, the entire league is still using the dumbest method when faced with a pick-and-roll... either going around the defense or double-teaming, and in the end, they all die in the Triangle Offense's passing and cutting. But what if there was a team that could use the Chicago Bulls ' own specialty, 'switch-everything defense,' to shut down the Chicago Bulls?"
The air seemed to freeze instantly, and you could even hear heavy breathing.
"We are the only team in the entire league with that kind of capability," Lin Qi said, his voice carrying an undeniable, seductive tone. "This isn't a futile effort; we're going to fight them in a battle of defensive resources."
He pointed to the first name on the whiteboard. "First, Jordan. Don't expect to shut him down; we need to wear him down. Jones, Finley, Anderson, Outlaw, the four of you take turns going in, and keep the intensity at full throttle."
"Secondly, the Chicago Bulls ' passing and cutting relies entirely on Pippen and Harper to set up plays. Once Jordan gets into the low post, Garnett and Brown, your long arms immediately block the passing lanes. I'm going to force the Chicago Bulls ' offense into a dead end of ' Jordan is on the offensive while the other four watch.' Once their passing and cutting system is paralyzed, they'll be half-useless."
"Third, Dennis Rodman." A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Qi's eyes at the mention of that name. " Johnson, Brown, you two need to contain him. We absolutely cannot let him turn offensive rebounds into second-chance opportunities."
Lin Qi then pulled over the second whiteboard. "On offense, Radja is key to us!"
Head coach Adelman immediately understood and stepped forward to continue, " The Chicago Bulls ' Luc Longley is a bulky center..."
The dense lines and names on the tactics board, like a meticulously crafted scalpel, scraped away a layer of skin from that invincible Chicago Bulls.
This extremely targeted solution sounds... really promising!
For the next two days, the Boston training facility turned into a meat grinder.
One group simulated the Triangle Offense, while the other group tried to defend.
The lineup simulating the Chicago Bulls' Triangle Offense was completely overwhelmed by their defense. No matter how they set screens or drove and dished, there was always a fast-moving defensive wall with long arms standing in front of them.
A defensive strategy ahead of its time, explosive defensive resources, and Boston's intimidating home court.
Lin Qi went through all the cards in his hand, but he couldn't find a reason to lose.
However, Late Night in the office, the video recorder in front of the green sofa lit up again.
When Lin Qi alone slowed down the Chicago Bulls ' game footage to 0.5x speed.
He saw Jordan, after being relentlessly guarded by three players for three quarters, still manage to hang in the air for extended periods in the fourth quarter, tearing apart double-team defenses with his signature fadeaway jumper;
He saw Pippen, even when surrounded and his passing lanes were almost completely blocked, still manage to use his long arms—which defy common sense—to magically shove the ball into a corner in mid-air, assisting his teammates to score easily;
He saw Dennis Rodman, with his lower body blocked, use an almost uncanny anticipation to forcefully grab the rebound from the crowd.
Basketball, after all, is not something that can be played on paper.
Lin Qi walked to the window and opened the blinds.
It was late at night, but the lights in the training hall downstairs still stubbornly pierced through the darkness.
On the empty court, that tall, thin figure was still tirelessly practicing his basic skills.
The sneakers screech violently against the floor, making a piercing sound that was particularly clear in the Late Night.
Lin Qi watched quietly as that lonely yet resolute figure stood there.
"Maybe..." he thought, "Maybe, a miracle really will happen."